• Ann Van Dyke Cheetah Centre (De Wildt Shingwedzi Cheetah Ranch) – www.dewildt.co.za (?) Some interaction with ambassador cheetahs allowed, removing some cubs to be hand-reared and very few released cheetahs. Most are sold to zoos (SA)

(?) – These projects are overall good but may have certain practices that some people/conservationists may disagree with. More feedback about these projects is appreciated. We are trying to identify and promote good conservation projects and wildlife sanctuaries that are not connected to canned hunting or promoting hunting as a conservation method.

These are places that, in OUR opinion, are not involved in immoral practices like forced breeding and selling animals to hunting reserves, that try their best to care for wildlife and from whom you’ll have a lot to learn from spending time there. We do not know anything about the accommodations they offer, the food, transportation etc.

WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND YOU DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH TO DECIDE IF A PROJECT IS RIGHT FOR YOU. If you book through a travel agency, you can give them a list of places that you like and you can mention that you don’t want to volunteer at a breeding farm, they will know what you mean.

PLEASE LET US KNOW, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS LIST,

WE CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP. Any reason any of these places should not be on the good list? Any place you know about that should be added?

REMEMBER, WE CANNOT INCLUDE ON THE GOOD LIST ANY PLACE INVOLVED IN FORCED BREEDING, PETTING FOR PROFIT, AND MOST OF ALL SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CANNED LION INDUSTRY.

THANK YOU.

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The updated list of BAD and UGLY places to avoid if you volunteer in Africa, according to our research:

= THE UGLY =

AS A GENERAL RULE, PLEASE AVOID ALL THE BREEDING FARMS WITH A LOT OF CUBS AND A LOT OF OLDER MALE LIONS AS THESE ARE SIGNS OF CONNECTION TO CANNED/TROPHY HUNTING.

• Mbidi Resort and Animal Sanctuary (RAMELA RANCH) –www.tigerman.co.za (www.ramelaranch.co.za – Breeding, hand-raising cubs and using them to attract volunteers, allowing petting, using tigers, lions or cheetahs (cubs and adults) for walks, swiming or shows….using animals only for profit, but NO known connection to hunting (SA)

We don’t believe these places are directly connected to canned hunting but they are doing practises that we don’t agree with, such as breeding and using the cubs to attract volunteers, animal interaction for entertainment or profit, elephant rides, etc. More feedback from these sites appreciated. Please send a message or post to our Facebook page. Thank you.

• Kwantu Game Reserve – www.kwantu.co.za – Forced breeding lions with the purpose of attracting volunteers, but taking good care of the animals, also selling lions, possibly to hunting reserves, but NOT related to Canned hunting (SA)

• ALERT (African Lion & Environmental Research Trust) –www.lionalert.org/page/ about-us – Part of a force breeding and lion exploitation business through petting and walks with lions, not connected to canned hunting (Zambia)

The lists are based on opinions expressed by former volunteers and conservationists on Facebook, blogs, reviews and also in articles published on this subject. We do not have any connection to any of the places listed and the reason for our work is to help the volunteers avoid projects involved in immoral practices such as force breeding, petting or canned hunting. We are not engaging in undercover operations.

Please let us know if there is a good reason why any of these places should not be on these lists.

5 thoughts on “Volunteering at SA Game Reserves”

I am glad to see that Limpopo Predator Park is on the bad guys list because I had a very unpleasant feeling about them when I was there.

While volunteering there I found myself having lunch and working in facilities saying “Ingogo Safari” accompanied by any kind of stuffed animal that you could think of. There were hunting magazines laying on the desk, animal skins drying in the backyard, the staff was even practising their guns by randomly shooting a warthog that crossed the car’s way at night. When confronted they insisted on only shooting sick and old animals that wouldnt make it in the wild anyway or to stop them from spreading bad genes. As for me I couldnt enjoy working there and left after a week.

See what you find googling “Ingogo Safari” yourself and wonder about the amount of baby lions and tigers at “Limpopo Predator Park” that come and go on a regular basis. Please don’t go volunteer there as this is not a place for wildlife conservation activities!

On your list of good/bad places you haven’t got the rhino and lion park in the cradle of human kind in South Africa? Do you know if those lions are used for canned hunts? I know the Lion Park is involved but they are 2 different places as far as I know!?!!